One carbon metabolism and its implication in health and immune functions

One carbon (1C) metabolism is critical for cellular viability and physiological homeostasis. Starting from its crucial involvement in purine biosynthesis to posttranslational modification of proteins, 1C metabolism contributes significantly to the development and cellular differentiation through methionine and folate cycles that are pivotal for cellular function. Genetic polymorphisms of several genes of these pathways are implicated in disease pathogenesis and drug metabolism. Metabolic products of 1C metabolism have significant roles in epigenetic modifications through DNA and histone protein methylation. Homocysteine is a product that has clinical significance in the diagnosis and prognosis of several critical illnesses, including chronic immune diseases and cancers. Regulation of the function and differentiation of immune cells, including T-cells, B-cells, macrophages, and so forth, are directly influenced by 1C metabolism and thus have direct implications in several immune disease biology. Recent research on therapeutic approaches is targeting nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitochondrial 1C metabolism to manage and treat metabolic (i.e., type 2 diabetes), neurodegenerative (i.e., Alzheimer's disease), or immune (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis) diseases. 1C metabolism is being explored for therapeutic intervention as a common determinant for a spectrum of immune and metabolic diseases. Identifying the association or correlation between essential metabolic products of this pathway and disease onset or prognosis would further facilitate the clinical monitoring of diseases.